At their final Anderson County Council meeting Tuesday, councilmen Tom Allen, a retired Army colonel, and Ken Waters, a retired Air Force master sergeant, received quilts honoring their military service and praise for their accomplishments as elected officials.

After they were presented quilts made by the Anderson Quilts of Valor chapter, council Chairman Tommy Dunn expressed admiration for both of his fellow Republicans.

Dunn and Allen were first elected a decade ago. They took office weeks after former county Administrator Joey Preston received a $1.1 million severance package, which led to a bitter and costly legal battle that remains unresolved.

"We have been though a lot together," Dunn told Allen.

He cited Allen's efforts to strengthen the county's animal-welfare regulations.

Allen, who represented the Pendleton area, announced in February that he would not seek another term. He said he has spent half of his life in public service and that he and his wife took only two vacations in 30 years.

Allen said his time in the military did little to prepare him for serving on the county council.

“It was a little rough the first couple of years," he said.

“When you're in the military, you know who has the rank. You know who the officers are. You know what are the orders are for the day. You know what the mission is. You know what the job is. You know which side the bullets are coming from," Allen said. "When you walk into politics you don't know any of that stuff and you get hit from all sides."

Allen's council seat will be filled next month by Republican Brett Sanders.

Dunn also had warm words for Waters, noting that he "came back from vacations more than once to make sure that budgets passed."

Waters, who represented the fast-growing Powdersville area, was first elected in 2010. He was narrowly defeated in the June GOP primary by Jimmy Davis, who faced no opposition in the November general election.

Waters said he is proud of the progress that Anderson County has made during his time on the council.

"This has been great," he said, adding, "It is time for me to go."

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM and email him at kirk.brown@independentmail.com